The 20 Best Cover Songs of 2010

When I was in high school, judging a cover song was easy: How close could we get to the original when playing Drivin’ N Cryin’ and The Clash in my high-school talent show. But my view of what makes a great cover song has changed over the years. The artists who made our list below transformed the songs they chose, playing to their own strengths while keeping the core elements that made the song great in the first place.

Thanks to tribute albums, corporate projects and viral YouTube videos, there were an abundance of cover tracks to choose from this year, and your favorite may have gotten left on the clipboard. Let us know what we got right or what we missed in the comments section below. Here are the 20 best cover songs of 2010.

16. Billy Bragg – “On a Good Day” (Joanna Newsom)
Part of the Voices Project cover chain that also has Dawes covering Edward Sharpe and Peter Gabrielcovering Tom Waits, this track benefits the women survivors of the war in Northern Uganda.

14. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – “White Rabbit” (Jefferson Airplane)
This psychedlic 1967 song fits Potter’s vibe well in this cut from the Alice in Wonderland soundtrack, Almost Alice.

13. Amanda Palmer – “Fake Plastic Trees” (Radiohead)Amanda Palmerperforms this popular hit of Radiohead on ukulele from her cryptically titled EP, Amanda Palmer Performs The Popular Hits Of Radiohead On Her Magical Ukulele.

12. Nada Surf – “Enjoy the Silence” (Depeche Mode)Dave Gahan never sounded like he appreciated the fact that all he ever wanted and all he ever needed was there in his arms, but Nada Surfembrace the joy of the chorus.

10. The Bird and the Bee – “Private Eyes” (Hall & Oates)It seems the time has come to reassess the merits of pop duo Daryl Hall and John Oates, especially with The Bird and the Bee’s Interpreting the Masters Vol. 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates

7. Old Crow Medicine Show – “Angel From Montgomery” (John Prine)Josh Ritter, The Avett Brothers, Jim James and Justin Vernon all do well with their tributes to John Prine on Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows, but Old Crow outshines them all.

6. Robert Plant and the Band of Joy – “Angel Dance” (Los Lobos)
The first single from Plant’s Band of Joy album is a Los Loboscover.

4. The Raveonettes – “I Wanna Be Adored” (Stone Roses) – The Raveonnettes
For its 50th anniversary, Doc Martens commissioned some tasty covers, especially this spacey take on The Stone Roses.

3. St. Vincent, Beck and Liars – “Never Tear Us Apart” (INXS)
Beck and the many guests he brings in to be a part of his Record Club have tackled full albums from The Velvet Underground, Leonard Cohen, Skip Spence and Yanni, as well as this gem from INXS’s Kick with Annie Clarkon vocals.

2. Cee Lo Green – “No One Gonna Love You” (Band of Horses)“Who knew Band of Horsespenned a show tune with ‘No One’s Gonna Love You?’ writes Paste’s Ryan Reed. “Cee Lo Greendid. The original became a slow dance staple for indie-rock proms, working blissful magic with emotional contrast, the music’s reserved glow heightened by Ben Bridwell’s widescreen love lyrics. Instead of simply paying tribute to a beloved track, Green flexes his maximalist muscles, replacing the original’s spaced-out guitars with a surging orchestral sweep, taking liberties with the melodic pacing and phrasing. Green’s is the IMAX version, excavating the song’s bruised, beating heart with the flair of a true showman.”

1. Lissie (tie) – “Bad Romance” (Lady Gaga) and “Pursuit of Happiness” (Kid CuDi)If Lissie’s album weren’t so good, she’d have been pegged as the novelty-cover singer. As it is, she just proved she can make the most of a wide range of material. We can’t choose between her haunting take on Lady Gagaor the way she infuses Kid CuDi with sultry rock.